Page 4 of Children of Anguish and Anarchy

But that night, Inan went through with his plan. Despite everything against him, he ended his family’s long reign. When I faced him in the underground cellars, he never put up a fight.

He shared the monarchy’s secrets with me as I ripped away his life.

Staring at Inan now, my mind races. A full moon at sea has taken its toll on his sturdy frame. This long below deck, his cinnamon skin has gone pale, creating a stark canvas for the fresh and faded bruises traveling down his back. His movements are sharp. Almost feral. Something about him feels more animal than man.

But entire oceans span between our past and our present. Old fury wars with relief. I feel the guarded divîner I was when we first met. The sting of the venom from the brooding little prince. The force of his sword against my staff. The brush of his lips against my neck.

I see the boy who told me we could build a new Orïsha.

The boy who tore my heart in half.

But what does that mean when we’re both trapped in here?

What does that mean when the Skulls are closing in?

“Your hair,” Inan croaks.

I lift my fingers to my bare scalp, and my cheeks burn. I’ve been alone for so long.

No one else has seen what the Skulls have done.

“There was a man.…” My voice trails off as I remember his shadowy figure. “His mask gleamed in silver.”

“The captain of the ship?” Inan asks.

I nod. “The other Skulls listened to him. He must have been.”

I try to continue, but the words disappear. The memories strike like the tides. Slowly, I’m brought back to the way the Silver Skull loomed over me. I feel the sweat that dripped down my skin.

Two Skulls held me down the first night they locked me in here. Another took hot shears to my scalp. The Silver Skull raised the twisted majacite crown in his hands.

The world darkened when I realized his plan.

I thrashed as the Silver Skull shoved the poisonous metal into my temple. The searing alloy steamed as it merged with my skin. When I passed out on the rusted floor, tears streamed down my face.

I begged for death’s embrace.

With the majacite welded to my temple, I don’t know if I’ll be able to access my gifts again.

“I’ll kill them,” Inan almost growls. Nothing soft lies in his amber eyes. His conviction makes my throat tight. It stirs the feelings I’ve tried to bury deep inside.

“I know I’ve hurt you.” Inan averts his gaze. “I know I’ve let you down more times than I can count. But I need you to trust me.”

“Trustyou?” I scoff.

“If the two of us can bring down a kingdom, we have to be capable of bringing down a single ship.”

Though everything in me wants to keep Inan at bay, the threat of the Skulls takes that choice away. For the first time since being locked in this hold, I have an ally.

I have a chance to escape.

I force myself to reach deep down, past every single betrayal, past every fallen tear. I have to trust him.

At least until we’re out of here.

“What can we do?” I ask.

Inan rips a strip of cloth from his dirt-stained pants and ties the striparound his bleeding hand. His swinging cage creaks as he paces the small perimeter. He tests the iron bars’ strength.

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